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Woman Claims Detective Touched Her Inappropriately

Dakarai Turner, WLTX 8:14 a.m. EDT March 26, 2014

The video shows an incident that happened back in October, but Angela Butler, a 20-year-old mother of 3 young children, says she is now coming forward because she wants others to see what happened to her.

Angela Butler, 20, claims she was touched inappropriately by a detective at the Lexington County Sheriff's Department.(Photo: WLTX)

Video shows what a women says is her being inappropriately touched by a detective at the Lexington Sheriff's Department.
WLTX

Lexington County, SC (WLTX) -- Video shows what a women says is her being inappropriately touched by a detective at the Lexington Sheriff's Department.

The video shows an incident that happened back in October, but Angela Butler, a 20-year-old mother of 3 young children, says she is now coming forward because she wants others to see what happened to her.

Some of the video may also be difficult to watch difficult to watch.

Butler was staying at a friends home with her infant son at the time of this incident. Her son, then just 6-months-old, was sleeping inches away at the foot of the sofa.

She said the video is still difficult for her to watch. She only found out what happened because of video surveillance equipment installed in the home, she said.

"I was embarrassed and shocked," Butler said after watching the video after the incident occurred. "That's only the type of thing you see in movies, and to see it actually happening to me was unbelievable."

Butler recalled what the videotape showed, saying "the detective poked his head in through the door, you know, was kind of looking around before he actually entered, to make sure that I was asleep."

He entered the home less than two minutes later, according to the video's time stamp. From there, Butler said he walked around the home, including the kitchen and the upstairs portion.

She said the detective also went through her cell phone.

After that, Butler said the detective touched her elbow, arm and moved the car seat that was sitting next to the sofa as she slept.

The camera picks up what happens next sequentially.

"(He) proceeded to touch my breast," Butler said.

Moments later, Butler is woken up.

"He asked me what my name was, told me why he was there - on grounds of child support," she said.

In a statement released to News19, the Lexington Sheriff's Department said Radford was at the home "serving civil papers at the proper residence." Butler said they could not have been at the correct address because her friend has no children.

The Department's Internal Affairs Division referred the case to SLED, and according to internal documents, Radford was suspended with pay during the investigation. SLED later turned the case over to Eleventh Circuit Solicitor Donald Myers' office.

After a review of the video, Assistant Solicitor Suzanne Mayes concludes "(Radford) appears to engage in various forms of inappropriate conduct," a list she writes includes "unnecessary touching of the alleged victim, perusal of personal items in the home," and a "lack of compliance with procedures for service of process."

Mayes goes on to write assault and battery in both the first and second degree "potentially apply in this case," however the videotape is "inconclusive as to whether (Radford) makes physical contact with the breast of the alleged victim."

The Solicitor's office also wrote there is "insufficient evidence" to file lesser charges such as trespassing or misconduct in office because the detective may have entered the residence legally.

While charges were not filed, the Lexington Sheriff's Department terminated Radford after they received the SLED report.

Butler said the detective's firing was not enough. She said the situation could have ended worse, and likely would not have come to light if it wasn't for the camera in the room.

"It could have went a lot further than it did, and that's what bothers me the most," Butler said.